Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I have been a swimmer for the last 20 years and swimming the Channel has been a dream of mine for almost as long as that. 

My mum died of Vascular Dementia in April 2017. Her health wasn't good, and that was a turning point for me to take hold of my life and to become as fit and healthy as I possibly could. So, over the last 20 months my fitness and swimming ability has gone from strength to strength. I felt now was the time to follow that dream and take the plunge (excuse the pun).

Next step was to find an organisation that I could do the  Channel relay swim with. A Google search helped me find the charity, Aspire. I was impressed with their organisation of official Channel Swim Relay Challenges and their drive and determination to provide essential support, equipment and advice for people paralysed by spinal cord injuries . 

The big dream is to swim the Channel solo, but as a starter, and to test my nerve, I am doing this as part of a relay team. Our team name is Aspire Panthers. Me and 5 other team members from Aspire will swim the Channel this summer 2019. The date set is July 17th but that will almost certainly change due to weather conditions. It can take anything between 9 - 20 hours to cover the 22 miles distance between Dover and France, and that distance can also increase to 40 miles+ if the tide is working against you. 

My assessment day in London in November 2018 with Aspire, really set the scene for how tough this challenge will be for me, and more importantly for the people I am raising money for. I heard stories how peoples lives are changed in an instant after life-changing accidents that cause them to become paralysed. It moved me. It can happen to any one of us. I'm hoping my big Channel Swim Challenge can make some difference. PLEASE help me get to the £1,750 I need to raise. 

THANK YOU

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.